While we’ve been enjoying every minute of summer thus far, I can’t help but look forward to the arrival of Fall. It’s my favorite season for sure – nothing makes a hot cup of coffee better than a crisp, cool Autumn morning. I made these carrot cupcakes for a friends birthday, it’s a recipe I’ve gone to time and time again, but just never managed to share with you guys.

Lots of shredded carrot (seriously, you’ll think “this much?”)and chopped walnuts are mixed in to a tender spice cake, for a taste that will definitely have you wanting more of cooler temperatures. For the garnish, I made candied carrot curls. Though they were a little bit time consuming, they were a totally awesome garnish that tasted great. Jon and I were munching on the leftovers all night.

Not that we’ve met a cupcake we didn’t like, everyone seemed to enjoy these more than usual. I had about 6 left after getting the birthday boy his order, and waited until the next day to take a photo. When I came downstairs with the plate of cupcakes, it was if a hoard of locusts had descended upon me. Crumbs, on a spinning plate, I tell ya. Enjoy these, guys!

Preheat oven to 325°. Line muffin tins with paper cupcake cups. Peel carrots, chop off ends, and grate finely, which is easiest using a food processor. Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder together, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until well blended. Add sugar, oil, buttermilk, carrots, and vanilla, mix well at medium speed. Add flour mixture and nuts. Blend on low speed until just mixed, spoon into cupcake cups, about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for about 22 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the garnish, Peel layers from carrot lengthwise on one side with peeler until you begin to get wide slices. Peel wide strips, reserving them, until you get about 20 (there will be a few extra). Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add wide carrot strips and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, discarding syrup. Let stand 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 225°F with rack at middle position. Line a large baking sheet with nonstick liner, then arrange candied carrot slices flat in 1 layer on sheet. Bake until dry but still flexible, about 20 minutes. Wind carrot strips, 1 at a time, around end of handle of a wooden spoon in a loose spiral, then slip off each curl and return, seam sides down, to lined baking sheet to dry for a couple of hours and using as garnish.

For the frosting, cream the butter, cheese and salt in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar until incorporated, then add the vanilla.

Ice cupcakes with frosting as desired, garnishing with carrot curls and chopped walnuts, if desired.

Today marks the Opening Ceremonies of the XXX Olympiad. London 2012. I always look forward to the Olympics – something about everyone coming together to compete and celebrate. The stories of sportsmanship that arise every year are so moving. I had the opportunity to attend the equestrian events in Atlanta 1996, and it’s something I’ll never forget. My mom and myself went, along with my best friend’s family. The bustling streets filled with people of all different nationalities and cultures; I was only 13 at the time, but I still felt connected to something so much larger than myself. I guess that’s what the Olympic Games are about, really.

And, London. London! What a fabulous city to be hosting. So rich in history and lore, the UK is at the top of my travel bucket list. So, for today’s post I wanted to share something that was a nod to this great city – and fish and chips immediately came to mind. I don’t fry fish often, usually preferring to pan-sear or grill it. But, we like to indulge in a good old-fashioned fish fry once in a while! I chose cod, which is a traditional choice for this dish. But haddock, flounder, or tilapia would be fine too. I recommend using a full-flavored beer in the batter, a hoppy IPA is always my go-to choice for this application.

Good luck to all the competitors these next couple of weeks, and go Team USA! Looking forward to curing up with our family tonight and watching the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the torch. Below you’ll find a picture of myself in Atlanta, circa ’96. Right in the thick of Olympic Village, posting next to a full chrome Chevy pickup. I’m pretty sure I was rocking a hot pink fanny pack as well. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Make the soaking mixture for the cut potatoes by combining warm water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt in large bowl. Mix to dissolve salt. Set aside.

To prepare the potatoes, peel the sides of the potato with a vegetable peeler, leaving some skin at the top and bottom. Slice potatoes length-wise, in 1/2″ slices. Then, slice 1/4″ inch strips from those slices. A mandoline or french fry cutter is very handy here! Place cut potatoes in the bowl of salt water and soak for 15 minutes. Remove from water and place the potatoes on a clean kitchen towel to dry for a few minutes. Dry well to avoid splattering when frying.

Fill a dutch oven with vegetable oil, so that oil comes up a little less than halfway up the pot. Place over low heat and heat to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, prepare your beer batter by combining the beer, 1 cup of flour, and a teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Place remainder of flour in a resealable bag and set aside with the beer batter.

Once oil is up to temperature, fry the potatoes in batches, taking care not to overcrowd. Fry until edges are starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined cookie sheet. Repeat process with remaining potatoes. Once all potatoes have been fried, bring the oil back up to 375 degrees, and refry them. The “twice-fry” is the key to a crispy french fry. Just another minute or two in the hot oil is all you need. Place them on a cooling rack on a cookie sheet and keep warm in an oven while fish is frying.

To fry the fish, place filets in the bag of flour to lightly coat, then dip into beer batter, and add to the oil. Fry until golden brown, turning fish occasionally, about 6-9 minutes depending on the size of the filets. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel-lined plate for a minute before plating. Serve fried fish over a generous portion of french fries with wedges of lemon for garnish. Tartar sauce and malt vinegar on the side.

We eat a lot of shrimp in the summertime. Fresh with the heads still on, they are almost cheaper than chicken here. We also eat alot of Mexican, so to combine those two loves into one dish was a no-brainer. I’d had shrimp tacos on my mind, but when I came across this recipe in a cookbook I had the opportunity to review, I put it on our menu plan immediately.

The shrimp undergo a quick marinade before being sauteed, then topped with a delicious mango-avocado salsa and thinly sliced red cabbage for a bit of crunch. All wrapped up in a lightly toasted corn tortilla. Comes together in less than 20 minutes, making for a perfect dinner to throw together after a long day at the beach – which, we’ve been enjoying a lot of these days.

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Peel and devein shrimp. Place in large resealable bag. Combine marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Add to the shrimp and toss until coated. Seal and chill for at least 30 minutes, but no more than 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. The salsa can be left at room temperature up to an hour. Otherwise, keep it chilled for up to 1 day.

Place large, cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, swirling to coat the bottom. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp turn pink and start to curl. Place shrimp on cutting board to cool for a minute before giving a rough chop. Place in bowl and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, and place over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil, and fry tortillas, a couple at a time, until starting to brown around the edges.

To serve, place a few shrimp in the middle of each warm tortilla, top with the salsa and shredded cabbage.

Berries. Summer. The two words are synonymous with each other! I was so happy to find a pick-your-own blueberry patch in Salisbury, MD (Garden of Eden Orchards for all you locals folks) – which is about 30 minutes north of me. The boys and I went the week before last, and we had so much fun filling up our pail with blueberries. Hoping to get back up there this week to pick some berries for freezing!

These bars had been on my radar to make since they popped up on one of my favorite sites earlier in the month in a recipe roundup for the 4th of July. A sweet/tart lemon bar, studded with gorgeous raspberries? Sign me up! When I went to make them, some of my raspberries were not at their most pristine condition – so, I tossed in some blueberries to fill the holes left behind by the less desirable raspberries that I had to chunk.

These were super-duper easy, a quick bake time – which is wonderful in this “hotter than the hinges of Hell” weather we’ve been having. And, aren’t they pretty? I really do love bars for dessert. It’s more of an indulgence than a cookie, but lighter than a cake. Take advantage of the gorgeous summer berries while they are in season!

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest until moist. Press crumbs into the bottom of the prepared dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the crust to cool to room temperature.

Once cooledl, whisk the egg yolks and condensed milk in a large bowl until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest, until mixture begins to thicken slightly. Carefully fold in the berries. Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, remove from pan, and then chill for at least a few hours before slicing. For a quicker set, stick into the freezer for about 30 minutes. Cut into bars and serve. Bars can be kept in refrigerator for up to 5 days.